“I’m not sure what I expected, but I know I didn’t expect this,” John Sutton said. “My only experience with singing nuns is Sally Fields. I thought it would be pedestrian and a female version of chant. It was a big wonderful surprise.”

Sutton is the chair of choral activities and conductor of Oratorio Choir and University Choir and Orchestra at Azusa Pacific University, as well as the artistic director of the Angeles Chorale. He said that “Lean into the Wind,” which was released in March, is positive and joyful with intricate arrangements and professional production.

“It’s complex, the harmonies, the layers, the textures, the variety of sounds that they’re augmenting their voices with and the singing is beautiful. It’s not homegrown, sit around the campfire,” Sutton said. “Beautiful voices and beautiful tones... and everything else that they added into it, the cello, the violin, the oboe, the harp, the French horn — it’s all done at a very high level.”

Sutton was also delighted to discover “Ready,” a song that boasts rock guitar.

“Nuns with an edge. Who would have thought?” Sutton said.

“Lean into the Wind” is the seventh album released by the Carmelite Sisters and their first available online at Amazon and iTunes. It contains 14 tracks, which includes 12 original compositions written by the sisters.

“It’s not easy to put something spiritual into human words,” Sister Timothy said. “But No. 1, we like to sing and No. 2, it seems like in the past several years the new members joining our community have gifts — they sing, play or write music.”

Sister Timothy, who handles communications for the Carmelite Sisters, explained that nuns have a deep spiritual connection to music.

“In our rule, the Carmelite way of life, we’re asked to wake up every morning singing. It’s actually a praise song, a little three lines to start us off. The end says ‘Come to prayers, Sisters, come to praise the Lord,’” Sister Timothy said.

The nuns also chant the psalms in the chapel in the morning as well as in the evening and for night prayer. This is called the Liturgy of the Hours, Sister Timothy said.

Pope John Paul II wrote about what he called the “culture of death,” Sister Timothy said.

“He said that our society today has a lot of negativity and he was encouraging the world and our society to build up the world into a ‘culture of life and a civilization of love,’” Sister Timothy said. “(With ‘Lean into the Wind’), we’re building up a culture of life and a civilization of love and we’re building hope, rebuilding hope.”

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But the Carmelite Sisters do much more than sing. They are very active in the community.

They provide senior living and healthcare at Avila Gardens in Duarte and Marycrest Manor in Culver City, sponsor child care centers in Duarte and Los Angeles, teach in eight area elementary and high schools and offer spiritual retreats at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra.

The sisters’ biggest project right now is transforming Santa Teresita Hospital in Duarte into a 12-acre neighborhood of assisted- and independent-living cottages. The nuns will oversee the residences, providing their expertise in elder care. Once this is up and running, “the spirit has to glow” to show the sisters where they are needed next, Sister Timothy said.